Our Source of Counsel I - Part 1 of 2

Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise, Thou for it's of my God and King, Thou triumphs of his grace.

This is LeSaire Bradley, Jr. welcoming you to another broadcast of the Baptist Bible Hour. Let us sing of Jesus and his love, Of the Savior who died on Calvary. Tell the world about those things above, And the wonderful grace that makes us free. Sing of his love, glorious love, Glorious love, and the wonderful grace that makes you free. Sing of his love, glorious love, Glorious love, he will love you through all eternity. Sing the praise of him who is our friend, He is pleading our cause before the throne.

He will go with us unto the end, And he never will leave us all alone. Sing of his love, glorious love, Glorious love, and the wonderful grace that makes you free. Sing of his love, glorious love, Glorious love, he will love you through all eternity. How we are to love his friend divine, And be faithful in service every day, Running on with patience all the time, He has promised to bless us all away. Sing of his love, glorious love, Glorious love, and the wonderful grace that makes you free.

Sing of his love, glorious love, Glorious love, he will love you through all eternity. We continue our study in the Psalms, such a wonderful portion of scripture, such a variety of subjects are covered in it. And as we come to verse 17, and looking at that through the 24th verse, our subject, our source of counsel.

I go with this for several days because it's such an important issue. So many of God's people become confused and have turned to mixed counsel rather than to the counsel of God's word. So I pray this section of our study will be a blessing to you.

If it is, we'd like to hear from you. Our address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. As we continue in Psalm 119, we're looking at the next segment, which is verses 17 through 24, which we entitle our source of counsel. Reading beginning with the 17th verse, deal bountifully with thy servant that I may live and keep thy word. Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

I am a stranger in the earth. Hide not thy commandments from me. My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times. Thou has rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments. Remove me from reproach and contempt, for I have kept thy testimonies. Princes also did sit and speak against me, but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes. Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.

We see some great things in this portion. First, in the 17th verse, we see great expectations. Deal bountifully with thy servant. This sermon of God is expecting an abundance of blessing. He recognizes his need of such mercies and prays that God will deal with him bountifully. Now God's children can expect that their Heavenly Father will deal with them bountifully. In Psalm 81 verse 10, he says, Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it.

That's obviously spoken on the part of one. The promise is given of God to one that has great need. What a promise to claim. We sometimes are hesitant to ask for great things, big things, because we have a deep sense of our own unworthiness.

But here we're encouraged to expect something very great. Open thy mouth wide. I'm looking for something that's beyond me, something that I know I could not produce myself, something that I certainly could not expect if I was going to look within me as to any cause as to why I might deserve it. But God himself has given the promise.

Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it. Then in Jeremiah chapter 33 in the third verse, he says, Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not. Do you sometimes struggle to really claim a promise like that? You go along dealing with doubt, fear, discouragement.

You look at yourself and you say, I've come so far short. I'm just amazed that God would ever bless me at all. And so the thought of asking for great things just seems, if it applies at all, it must be for somebody else. Yet here's the promise. Call unto me. I will show thee great and mighty things. And a confirmation that God's children can expect to be dealt with bountifully is brought to view in the clearest of terms in the eighth chapter of the book of Romans when he says in the 32nd verse, He that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Here he says is the proof that God will give us such things as we have need of. Doesn't mean that he's going to satisfy our carnal desires, our selfish interests, but the things that we have need of in his service, the things that we need to the glory of his name. He has proven his willingness to give what we need because he has given us his son. What greater gift could possibly have been given?

The apostle says it right into the church's car and thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. Seeing then that he has given us the unspeakable gift, he did not spare his son. He delivered him up for us all. Now do we not have clear evidence that he will give us such things, freely give us such things as we have need of. God's children then should have great expectations. They can anticipate being dealt with bountifully because God promises it and God has demonstrated it by giving his son.

In the book of Ephesians chapter 3 verse 20, Paul says, Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us. Do exceeding above, exceeding abundantly above all that we ask, all that we think. My, how we need to remind ourselves of such wonderful promises. We get to the place that we are satisfied with the status quo, satisfied with bare survival. If I can just get through this next day, we look ahead and see all of the challenges that are coming up and say, I want to survive this next week.

Maybe everything will be alright. But here we are repeatedly told that he is able to do for us great and mighty things and that we should expect it and call upon him for such mercies. Now of course we must constantly bear in mind that the basis for this blessing is the mercy of God. None of us would ever dare to come before the Lord and say, I feel like now I'm in such a position that you're obligated to me. Look at what a noble job I've done. Look at how faithful my service has been.

Look at what I've rendered. Lord will you not bless me accordingly. If we have a clear sight of self, we join with the patriarch Jacob to say that I'm not worthy of the least of his mercies. But we find this encouraging word in Hebrews chapter 4 verse 16, Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.

Where is it we're coming? Not to make claim for something that we're entitled to by our own action, but coming first to find mercy and secondly asking for grace to help. Therefore when we know we're coming to the Lord because of the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, because we stand accepted in him, because our sins have been washed in the blood, and we're coming now in Jesus' name, we can have great expectations. 1 John chapter 2 verse 12, it says, I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. Just as your sins are forgiven for his name's sake, the blessings that you have are for his name's sake. Certainly there are blessings to be found in the pathway of obedience, there are chastisements to be suffered when we disobey, but when all that's said and done, surely we would all concur that it is on the basis of God's grace and mercy that any blessing ever comes our way.

Now what's the purpose in view? He wants to be able to live life as it is supposed to be lived. He's not asking for bountiful blessings for selfish interest, for selfish purpose. He wants to serve God. He wants to honor him. So he says, deal bountifully with thy servant that I may live and keep thy word.

The book of 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 15 says, and that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again. That's to be the direction of our life. Not to live unto ourselves.

That's the way we're inclined. We think about what we want. We set our goals, make our plans.

This is what I perceive to be best for my life. But the psalmist says that he wants to live to God's glory, and the apostle tells us in this passage that we should not live unto ourselves, but unto the one that died for us and rose again, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And the apostle expressed that as far as his own outlook was concerned. He said in Philippians chapter 1, reading in the 20th verse, according to my earnest expectation and my hope.

We're talking about expectations. Look at what the apostle is expecting. According to my expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. Whether I'm going to go on living, whether I have additional days, months, years here, or whether I should die a death as one who is being persecuted for righteousness sake, for the glory of Christ. I want Christ to be magnified in my body, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. So we need abundant blessings, bountiful blessings that we may live, live a godly life, live and keep his word.

Next verse presents great vision. Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. A prayer for enlightenment.

Solace seems to have a sense of his own blindness. Lord, I need to have my eyes open. He's not suggesting that there's anything obscure about the law of God or the word of God itself, but I have a problem because I don't see clearly. I pray, Lord, that I will open my eyes.

That ought to be a consistent part of our prayer life. As we study the scriptures, we often find portions of it to be very challenging. And I've had people say, well, you know, I read, but I just don't get that much out of it. I have difficulty with it.

Well, have you stopped to pray and asked for help? Lord, open my eyes. Give me understanding.

Help me to see what's there. We need his enabling grace. We need the blessing of his spirit to be able to understand the word. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 17, Paul expresses his concern for this church that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened. Open thou mine eyes.

May that always be our prayer. And God does open eyes. You remember when the servant of Elisha was filled with fear because he saw the enemy camped all about. And no matter how he looked at the situation, there was only two on his side, just the servant and the prophet. But there were chariots and horses and soldiers everywhere that had come to the camp around them. And the old prophet says, there's nothing to worry about.

They that are with us are more than they that be with them. But the boy couldn't find much consolation in that because he could not see what Elisha saw. And rather than Elisha rebuking him, they prayed, Lord, open his eyes. And the Lord answered that prayer. And when his eyes were opened, he saw chariots of fire. He saw that God had sent heavenly messengers to defend his servant and knew them that all was well. But he had to get his eyes opened to see it. God does open the eyes of those that cannot see. You remember that after the resurrection, Jesus was walking on the road to Emmaus with the disciples, conversing with them. But they initially did not recognize who he was.

Their eyes were holding that they could not see. But in Luke 24, verse 31, it says, And their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us by the way, while he opened to us the scriptures? When their eyes were opened, they saw this is the resurrected Christ. This is our Savior. This is Jesus, with whom we have spent three years of our life, sitting at his feet, hearing him teach, hearing him preach, observing him performing miracles. And now he has come out of the grave. And then they said there was something about him even before we recognized who he was. As he opened up the scriptures, our hearts did burn within us.

We were comforted and consoled by his very presence. So God does open the eyes of those that cannot see. But it says, Open thou mine eyes, and I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

The reason I want clearer vision is so I can see something that's worthwhile. I want to see the wondrous things that are in thy law or in thy word. When you begin to think about all the wondrous things that are in the scriptures, how remarkable it is. Throughout the Old Testament we find the prophetic references to our Savior Jesus Christ. Certainly this was a wonderful anticipation of the wonderful Savior that would come to do a wonderful work. Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsel of the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth, even forever, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. So you pray, Lord, open my eyes.

Help me to see. And you begin to see in these Old Testament prophecies some wonderful things about the Redeemer, the Messiah, this promised one of God who would come, God in the flesh coming to save his people from their sins. And then you read about a chosen people.

How wonderful to read of the marvelous blessings that are in store for them. Romans chapter 8 verse 29, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Whom he did predestinate, then he also called, whom he called, then he also justified, whom he justified, then he also glorified.

That's something wonderful, isn't it? To consider that there are people who will one day be like Jesus Christ. God has decreed it. God has purposed it. Now you wouldn't know about that if you hadn't read it in God's Word.

But because the Scriptures reveal it, you find something wonderful. God has a chosen people. Those whom he foreknew, knew them in a special, intimate way, favoring them, loving them. He predestinated them, determined ahead of time to make them like his Son, Jesus Christ. All of those that are predestinated or called, that is, they are affectionately drawn to him.

This is irresistible grace. Does this mean that these individuals are not happy about having been called? That they are only acting as a robot and their heart is not in it? No, it says, thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. When they're drawn, they now come willingly and joyfully. And all of those that are called are justified, declared to be just before God because of the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. And in the mind and purpose of God, this all is settled.

We haven't gotten there yet to glorification, but it's settled in the decrees of God. There's something wonderful to read about. Yes, the psalmist writes, open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. And then as we would continue through the New Testament, obviously the New Testament was not available to the psalmist, but I believe that the scripture itself is embraced in all of this.

All scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable. And so just as David was very much familiar with the Old Testament scripture that he had available to him and delighted in the law of God, the truth of God, the commandments of God, the word of God, we delight in it today having not just the Old but the New Testament as well. When we come to the book of 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, we read that there is a great day coming. Often people like to look forward to days of special events. I can't wait till this particular day gets here, somebody will say. Children will often say, I can't wait until my birthday arrives.

You get a little older and you say, I can wait, that's all right, we don't need to rush this, but we like to think about those special events or special occasions that people look forward to. Here's the most wondrous thing that could ever be imagined. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 13. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain under the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them that are asleep. Forget this, for the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with the shout, with the voice of the archangel, for the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Isn't that wonderful to anticipate? You know what happens sadly many times is that we say, well, I've read that a lot of times.

I've heard that read at a lot of funerals that, yeah, I believe the Bible so I believe that so. But you don't enter into it with any great expectation or joy. Peter told us about the day and surely we're living in such a time when many scoffers would come and say, everything's going to continue just like it has been. Hasn't been such a momentous day as that before and no reason to expect that it's going to happen again.

No reason to believe that there will be such a time. But this is a revelation given us by the Holy Spirit of God as He moves upon the apostle to write this letter. Think about it. The Lord Himself descends from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel, with the trump of God and the dead in Christ rising. All of those who have been purchased by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Many, many have long since lost any marker to denote the spot where the body was laid. But every one of them, wherever they were, He will bring them out of the grave. And those that are alive and remain caught up together in the air to meet them and to meet the Lord, wherefore comfort one another with these words. Lord, open our eyes to see the wondrous things that are in Thy word. Thankful you've been with us today. If you would like to help with the support of the program, you can go to our website at BaptistBibleHour.org and make a convenient donation there. Till this same time tomorrow, this is LaSara Bradley, Jr. bidding you goodbye and may God bless you. It is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long. This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior, praising my Savior, praising my Savior all the day long.